The preservation of organic matters or materials has already formed the subject matter of relatively numerous publications describing various methods of conservation.
By way of indication, mention may be made of incubation as taught by Application EP-0.584.484, cryopreservation, lyophilization, and sterilization.
The first method does not appear to satisfy the requirements of elimination of the risks of residual contamination of the matter.
The following two methods present the drawback of employing heavy and relatively expensive processes which, furthermore, do not provide absolute safety as to the risks of residual contamination by micro-organisms or by viruses.
The process of sterilization may include different methods, such as the application of radiations, the application of ethylene oxide or sterilization by wet heat.
The application of radiations, of the X, Gamma or beta type, involves considerable equipment and is delicate to carry out. Furthermore, such radiations are the origin of an alteration of the properties of the organic matters whose re-use may consequently be partly hampered and even hindered. Moreover, the cost of carrying out such a method is high.
Sterilization by ethylene oxide presents the drawback of representing for the personnel a risk, either direct, or via the secondary reaction products, such as ethylene-glycol and ethylene-chlorohydrin, products reputed to be toxic.
Sterilization by wet heat appears to be an interesting technique, due to the possibility that it offers of being successfully carried out, employing relatively simple technical means, with a relatively low energy consumption.
However, the problem raised for carrying out such a method is to have equipment available which enables the process of sterilization by the wet method to be successfully carried out, as is known, by means of an autoclave and a process of sequential application of well determined temperatures and which, moreover, ensures a preservation of the matter or of the sterilized material under conditions of absolute safety allowing storage, transport, as well as a possible re-use under optimum conditions.
Another problem is that of conserving the organic matter or material having to be sterilized, being visually sure that the sterilization having taken place corresponds exactly to the operational process having been conducted.
It may be considered that, at the present time, the known technique does not furnish material adapted to respond to the requirements set forth hereinabove.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome these shortcomings by proposing a protective box for sterilization and preservation which makes it possible to perform the above double function for a sterilizing packing, of known conception, so that the function of sterilization can be performed under optimum conditions and the function of storage, manipulation and transport can be performed while ensuring an efficient protection of the packing against the risks of untimely opening, but also against shocks, bangs and even drops which may result from the manipulation, storage, transport operations.